5/9/10

For Amanda, her big day was filled with beautiful dresses, beautiful food, and many beautiful red roses - and her cake was no different! Her design was simple yet very effective as it showed off her favorite colors and their flower theme for their special day.

I wanted to create a giant centrepiece for my Carrara Markets stall and the BIGGER the BETTER! So after finding four foam tiers, I let my imagination run wild with ideas. After a couple of days pondering I came upon some spectacular lilies which I just HAD to use on the cake. Should I go traditional white with ribbon? Pretty pink with dots?I decided to take a risk and use black fondant under the pink and white lilies. In my mind it would look striking and original but also elegant and pretty. So I tried it and as happy with the result. I added white, then black tiers continuously, but became stumped as I added my final tier. It was missing something... and ribbon just would not do. It needed something more - something fabulous!

What about beading?! I found the most beautiful ribbon with beading attached and knew I just HAD to use it. At first, I admit I was apprehensive and had never seen a cake decorated with such elaborate beading before. Would it look silly? Too heavy? Too 'fancy' for a cake?Not at all! The outcome was more than I saw even in my imagination, and I was proud to display the cake at my market stall. Passers-by commented how much they loved it and how striking it was. The continual positive comments really boosted my confidence in my original design ideas and just in experimentation in general. I would LOVE to make this as a real cake so let me know if you're interested! Hope you like it!

Holding a stall at Carrara Markets on the Gold Coast was a great experience! It was a wonderful marketing opportunity for me to get my name out to show people who I am and what I can do. I gave away literally heaps of business cards and already I have had people desiring quotes and orders for more- keep them coming! Meanwhile, I hope the cakes that were purchased were delicious and a delight for your family and friends!

I also received my first shipment of edible image borders from America which I used on a couple of cakes. They are awesome and really add something special for a simple yet effective gift. They come in all sorts of designs, which I will display on the blog this week. Until then, here are some pics of cakes I had on display for sale at the markets. All of these arrangements are available for sale, as well as many more! Just ask to see if I have your favorite flower, or design your own cake!

4/29/10

I am excited to announce that I will be holding my first market stall at Carrara Markets on the Gold Coast THIS Saturday! (Saturday May 1st). I am very excited but also very nervous!I will be selling a variety of Mini Masterpieces for $45.00, and also displaying a four-tier wedding cake example as a centrepiece. Check out the post!

I have a variety of spectacular flowers (edible and fake) to put on the Minis and I am really excited to launch this adorable new line. I am also very excited to start a new line of decorations that I am importing from America. They are not well known here yet but I have a feeling they will be a wonderful and much loved addition to my cakes. I will be launching them at the market on Saturday 9th, the day before Mothers Day. I think the Mini is a PERFECT gift for any mum or grandma - who wouldn't want chocolate, flowers and a card all in one?

So if you're in the area don't forget to pop in! I will be located in 'the Pavilion', so keep a look out!I'll post pics of the event as soon as I can!

3/27/10

Well I am excited to present the biggest cake accomplishment of my cake designing career! This four-tier beauty was created for an engagement party for over 200 people. What a fun project! I am very happy with the result, it turned out bigger, fancier and better than the designer, and even I had imagined! It was a huge succcess - literally! - and I can only hope I get the chance to create another one day!

3/15/10

Nikki needed a cake for her daughter's birthday, which was held the same day as a friend's wedding - what to do? A Mini Masterpiece would be just perfect! A tiny cake mud cake (apx.7cm across) just for her, decorated in her favorite colors - what more could a 7 year old want? Hot pink, Purple, and Silver with a star theme. What fun! My favorite part was paining the silver stars, what a fantastic invention!

My friend Kara recently became an ENJO consultant and for her launch party she asked if I would be able to make an "Enjo" Cake. Hmm... that was a new one for me! Kara had the idea of an 'environmental' look with leaves on the top and the word Enjo on the front. Sounds interesting, let's give it a go! So I did, and we were both happy with the results. It was a great chance to experiment with leaf patterns and manipulating them to fit the desired look. Kara was very happy with it, and hey, now I can say I've made an 'Enjo' cake! ;-)

My sister Alisha had a baby shower this month and as well as putting it all together I also wanted to make her a dream baby shower cake. Using her colors green, yellow and pink as well as a daisy theme, I was very pleased with the result - but best of all, Alisha absolutely loved it! I am really happy with how the daisies came out, as I was trying a new method to make them. And once again I got to experiment with a few fondant styles and leaf patterns. Not only that - it was delicious!!

2/2/10

My daughter Vettoria LOVES 'Dora the Explorer' and 'Go Diego Go'. I listen to and catch glimpses of them both day after day when Tori watches her DVDs. It has made me want to make a Dora and a Diego cake so desperately! (If only for Tori's 3rd birthday coming up in July!) So I have made a couple of drafts of what I think would be great Dora and Diego cakes. If anyone knows kids who love Dora or Diego, please let me know - I would LOVE the chance to make them!

1/25/10

When my good friend Beth had a birthday coming up, I knew I wanted to give her a cake, but I had no idea how fun it would be to personally design something just for her! It was so much fun putting the colors and decorations together. And that was how the 'Mini Masterpiece' came to be. It can be as fancy and elaborate as a wedding cake, or as simple as as favourite color; either way, it's fun to give and great to receive! Perfect for just one, or a few people to share.

This cake was a special gift for my sister-in-law at her baby shower. Although this cake is no where near as gorgeous as her beautiful baby girl Isabella, I had a great time designing it for her. I wanted to find fairies that had both a floral and baby theme, and these garden fairies did the trick, especially with the little baby fairy on the top! The colors were perfect for the look I as going for, and they added a nice splash of color.

I was so excited to make this cake! I had imagined and even designed a Spiderman cake with buildings and a web, but didn't have anyone to make it for! So when Vicki asked me to make one for her son's birthday I jumped at the chance. This cake took a bit more work than usual, as it is very detailed and involves a lot of preparation, but the final product was quite striking and Vicki loved it. The web is actually detachable, so it can be positioned anywhere on the cake. The main thing I will do differently next time is Spiderman's stance.. I think his legs are a little too far apart... but hey, Jamaine loved him so that's the main thing!

This style cake is perfect for anything from a baby shower to a child's or adult's special day. It's so pretty and the butterflies are made from beads and wire, so they can keep forever as a pretty momento. Alternatively, smaller versions for 1-8 people are possible with the same look using grass, flowers and butterflies, or clouds and butterflies, etc.. So many options!

When my 2 year old daughter, Vettoria (Tori) had her second birthday, there was only one thing she wanted on her cake - In The Night Garden! This cake was the first I made displaying figurines. I originally added them just as something for Tori to keep. But everyone, myself included, was so impressed with how they looked, it became a niche for me to use often. This was also the first time I had experimented with trees, and I was excited by the way they turned out.

1/24/10

When my friend Krishna asked me to make a cake for her son Kavi's 1st birthday, I was so excited! He loves Winnie the Pooh, so I saw it as a great opportunity to buy him little figurines he could keep after the cake was eaten. Something as a memory from his special day. I wanted it be more boyish than others I had made, so I added a'stick' effect for the name and darkened the colors of the trees and tier colours. I think it worked!